Creature Comforts

Posted in Creature Comforts, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., Coming Soon

Creature Comforts Transmission, a collaboration with Arizona Wilderness

Creature Comforts Transmission is a new collaboration debuts later this month, brewed with Gilbert, Arizona based Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.

The base beer is a saison, brewed with ingredients local to each brewery. Lisbon lemons and Arizona sweet oranges were grown locally by The Farm at Agritopia, and provided by Arizona Wilderness.

Creature Comforts added honey from Booger Hill Bee Company, based in Danielsville, Georgia. The bottle has been condtioning for the past four months with Creature’s mixed culture blend of yeast and bacteria.

Those interested in bottles will find them on a special Creature Comforts Transmission tour at the brewery in Athens, Georgia on September 29th, 2016.

Style: Saison (w/ Lemons, Oranges, Honey.)
Hops: Lemondrop, Mandarin Bavaria
Availability: 750ml Bottles

Debut: 9/29/16

5.6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Creature Comforts, Headlines, New Releases

Wicked Weed Juiceless, a Creature Comforts collaboration debuts this weekend

Wicked Weed Juiceless, a collaboration with Athens, Georgia based Creature Comforts, debuts August 27th.

Collectively, the two breweries have bragging rights as they each brew some of the most popular India pale ales in the southeast. (See Wicked Weed Pernicious and Creature Comforts Tropicalia.) Both are known for being hoppy, juicy, and downright decadent IPAs.

RELATED: Creature Comforts teams up with Arizona Wilderness

Here in mid-2016, fruited IPAs are all the rage. The fruited subset of the most popular style in the craft brewing segment has made the biggest sales gains over past 18 months according the Brewer’s Association. When it comes to Wicked Weed Juiceless, the breweries tout “cracking the juicy code” without using actual fruit. They have created a juicy IPA without juice. It’s “Juiceless.”

How are they doing it? They are using the biggest, most fruit-forward hops around. If the label artwork is any indication, you’ll find hoppy pineapple notes.

Wicked Weed and Creature Comforts love the citrusy, crisp, hoppy flavor of fruited IPAs, but we wanted to put a unique twist on this delicious style. For this collaboration beer, we cracked the juicy code without using any fruit. Is it hoppy? Of course. Smooth? Certainly. Juicy? THE JUICIEST. Made with fruit? Absolutely not. All the fruit flavor, all from the hops. This beer IS what it ISN’T

Wicked Weed Juiceless will be a 16.9 ounce bottle offering, bottled by Wicked Weed in Asheville. The first bottles will be available alongside to most recent return of White Angel this weekend. Distribution to follow the first week of September.

Style: IPA
Availability: 16.9oz Bottles
Debut: 8/27/16

7.7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts

Creature Comforts Mutualism, a collab with Jester King debuts

Creature Comforts Mutualism, a collaboration with Austin, Texas based Jester King Brewery releases on July 14th.

Both breweries experiment with wild and sour cultures, making this collaboration a no-brainer. This “Southern style” collaboration features a blend of both house cultures that really make each brewery unique.

The base beer is a pilsner, brewed with wheat and grits from Dayspring Farms (you’ll know from Dayspring) whose secondary fermentation uses the culture blend.

Mutualism was born from a shared vision with our friends at Jester King Brewery of a forgotten cask, that was once a pilsner, but had transformed due to fermentation and time. To craft this beer, we made a pilsner using local wheat and grits from Dayspring Farms, and put it through a secondary fermentation with a  blend of both our house-mixed cultures. The result truly is a symbiosis of friendship, conversation, and bringing the best out of each other’s work. This is Mutualism. Enjoy.

Athens based illustrator (and incidentally tour staff member) Melissa Merrill created the artwork for this release.

Creature Comforts Mutualism is a 750 milliliter bottle offering, available at the brewery in Athens, Georgia only.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Grits)
Availabilty: 750ml Bottles
Release: 7/14/16

5.5% ABV

Ed Note: Reader questions submitted to Beer Street Journal unfortunately not be answered. Creature Comforts declined to speak about the collab. Per one brewer- “We made a beer with our friends. It is what it is.” -R.R.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, Don't Miss This

Creature Comforts The Curious No. 8 debuts July 10th

Creature Comforts The Curious No. 8 will release on a special tour on July 10th.

This release arises from the brewery’s Emergence project. The project features a tart blonde ale, that was fermented with at least four strains of the brewery’s house yeast, rested in wine barrels. Variations of that release spawned The Curious No. 6 (aged on peaches).

To create Creature Comforts The Curious No. 8, the brewery selected two wine barrels from the base Emergence beer, chosen for the strong berry character. Blueberries from Rhonda’s Blueberries in Union Point, Georgia were added to those select barrels.

Chris and Rhonda grow the best blueberries we’ve ever tasted, and the blueberries picked for this beer are Ochlockonee blueberries. You can try these at the Athens Farmers Market where Rhonda’s blueberries are sold.

Creature Comforts The Curious No. 8 will be available on a special tour at the brewery in Athens, Georgia on July 10th. Attendees will get to try The Curious No. 7, food from Savory Spoon, and two bottles of No. 8. Tour starts at 1 pm.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Blueberries. Wine Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 16.9oz Bottles. Brewery release only.
Debut: 7/10/16

6.8% ABV

Tour vouchers can be purchased here

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, New Releases

Creature Comforts Bibo Pilsner cans hit Atlanta

Creature Comforts Bibo Pilsner are now available in cans for the first time. The brewery’s hometown of Athens, Georgia has seen the first distribution, with Atlanta not far behind. This is Creature’s third year-round offering.

It took time to grow and extra capital to increase fermentation capacity in order to release their already year-round draft pilsner. Creature Comforts Bibo Pilsner has been available from the brewery’s inception two-years ago, only on draft.

“For this label, we took inspiration from the classic design of European Pilsners, which are often a more traditional style with colors including white, gold blue, silver, red and green,” said Creature Comforts Co-Founder and CEO, Chris Herron.

Creature Comforts Bibo Pilsner is brewed with Czech Saaz, Sterling, and Moteuka hops. The Athens, Georgia market will see Bibo cans the week of May 7th, corresponding with the Athens Criterium bike race. Creature Comforts is a sponsor for third year in a row.

As of June 10th, can shipments of this beer are available in the Atlanta market as well.

Style: Pilsner
Availability:
Release (Cans): May, 2016

4.9% ABV

Update: Creature Comforts tells Beer Street Journal that the Bibo Cans in Atlanta will be extremely limited in the Atlanta area after this shipment. The brewery is still focusing on the Athens market for the time being. Automatic Pale Ale cans are next up in production as well…

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Other Half Brewing, Creature Comforts, Don't Miss This

Other Half Grits & Greens, another Creature Comforts collab

For those of you keeping track of Creature Comforts, or all things collaboration for that matter, here’s one more for your radar. Other Half Grits & Greens.

You might recall Creature Comforts King’s Ransom, a collaboration with Brooklyn, New York’s Other Half Brewing. That beer was released at Creature Comforts in Athens, Georgia back in April.

This weekend, another Creature Comforts/ Other Half collaboration has been released, this time in New York – Other Half Grits & Greens. This release is a pilsner, the first ever by the young brewery.

Grits & Greens features Georgia grits (if you don’t know what grits are, watch My Cousin Vinnie), and hopped with Wakatu, Wai-iti, and Nelson Sauvin hops.

The collaboration was released over the weekend in 16 ounce cans. Happy hunting.

Style: Pilsner (w/ Grits)
Hops: Wakatu, Wai-iti, Nelson Sauvin

Availability: 16oz Cans. Brewery release
Debut: 6/4/16

5.9% ABV

Image via Other Half Brewing

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Creature Comforts, New Releases

Creature Comforts Existence, aged 19 months in bourbon

Creature Comforts Existence, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout, releases on May 21st, 2016.

This beer is all about time. The base beer was brewed in Athens, Georgia shortly after the brewery opened its doors in 2014. The stout has been aging in Willet bourbon barrels for 19 months.

“Immediately after our opening weekend, we brewed the base stout that now – after 19 months in Willet bourbon barrels – has become Existence,” said Creature Comforts Wood Cellar and Specialty Brand Manager, Blake Tyers. “Time is a gift that we appreciate in our wood cellar, and Existence is a prime example of what time can bring.”

Creature Comforts Existence boasts notes of oak, vanilla, dark chocolate, subtle cherry and bourbon. Available in extremely limited quantities on a ticketed tour on May 21st.

Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Release: 5/21/16 (Brewery only)

11.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay